Engaging with Surf Journalism
By Taira Blakey ‘25​New Zealand Surf Journal is the home of New Zealand surfing. It exists to celebrate the inspiring people, places and culture of surfing in Aotearoa. I spent my summer as an editorial intern for the Journal, mostly writing but also taking photos and video. I was based on the South Island, but traveled all around New Zealand doing stories on surfers, shapers, and small businesses. I will likely contribute writing and photography to the Journal for years to come.
I loved my work, and would love to one day go into surf journalism. However, this internship did highlight many of the current challenges within the industry. Importantly, it’s a real struggle to make any money doing this kind of work. In any case, this internship has definitely improved my writing, interviewing, and photography.
My biggest takeaway? Writing is hard. Especially balancing multiple stories and deadlines. Also, surfers are difficult to work with (go figure).
My favorite part? I spent a lot of time in the ocean (sometimes working and sometimes surfing).
Internship funded by the Peter Buck Internship Fund.